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Kingston Eats

Since I am both "from" Kingston and the editor/publisher of the CheapEats Restaurant Guides, I get asked often where to go in Kingston for good eats cheap.

Since I’m heading down to Podcasters Across Borders in Kingston this weekend, I decided to share this email which I wrote for a friend headed down to Kingston for the weekend.  It includes both cheap, and not-so cheap places mostly within walking distance of the waterfront.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and any other recommendations you'd like to add to the pile.

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Casa Domenico - 35 Brock Street - It's a new find (for me) and not a CheapEat but it's a place I was delighted to find. Tasty food, good menu and since I was introduced to it by a vinophile, who also happened to run into her friend, a Lifford wine agent selling to the restaurant, the wine list should be pretty solid. Not a CheapEat. www.casadomenico.com

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The Pilot House - 265 King St East - the spot for a pint and fish & chips in K'ton. Enough said. www.pilothousekingston.ca (Not enough for you? Okay, it's a great little pub which has been around forever, or at least it feels like that. Limited space inside but a big side patio, great beer selection and good food.) www.pilothousekingston.ca

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Kingston Brewing Company - 34 Clarence Street - solid brewpub with some interesting specials and a pub atmosphere. Lots of great nooks and crannies with a big open space upstairs. One of my standard places to hit when I'm looking for good, reliable eats w/ beer. The Dragons Breath Real Ale is the brew-house fave a Premium Bitter/ESB. On the edge of being a CheapEat www.kingstonbrewing.ca

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Morrison's - 318 King Street East - another Kingston tradition. It's a diner and best for breakfast or lunch (IMHO). If you are from Toronto, you might compare it to Fran's. If you're from Ottawa think a cross between Mello's & the Mayflower. A CheapEat.

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Chez Piggy - 68-R (rear) Princess Street - one of "the" Kingston restaurants. It's tucked away in an old-limestone courtyard and it's patio seating is lovely on a sunny afternoon. Generally and interesting and flavourful menu. Not a CheapEat. www.chezpiggy.com

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The Sleepless Goat - 91 Princess Street - a BoHo co-op cafe with lots of tables, fair-trade coffee and free WIFI. The food is good, and if you're looking for a place to grab coffee, breakfast or lunch it's a good spot to hit. A CheapEat  www.thesleeplessgoat.ca

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Pan Chanco - 44 Princess St. - originally the bakery for Chez Piggy, it has evolve to a have a nice little bistro-style restaurant tucked in the back. Great breads which translate into good sandwiches and excellent bread basket with anything you have. Not a CheapEat panchancho.com

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Windmills Café - 184 Princess Street - my mom loves this place and they get attention for being a "foodie's destination". I've never been overly blown away, but the food is good and solid. (I've been known to be a little extra snobby about things at this price point.) Not a CheapEat www.windmills-cafe.com

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Hoagie House - 384 Division Street - takeout-only but a Kingston Classic. Kind of like a sub but much better. If you are headed this way a Steak Hoagie is the way to go. Unfortunately the only location left is on Division Street, so it's a bit of a hike from downtown if you don't have a car. Totally a CheapEat.

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Star Diner - 849 Princess Street - not downtown so a bit far if you don't have a car, but a nice little diner for breakfast or lunch. A CheapEat.

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These are some places with Good Press but I've never been.

Lukes - 264 Princess St. - very young chef who started the restaurant at something like 14 (he's 18 now) with a focus on French cuisine. Not a CheapEat www.lukesgastronomy.com

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AquaTerra by Clark - 1 Johnson Street - Clark (no relation) used to run what was often considered the best place to eat in K'ton. Now he runs a place out of hotel. It's right on the water and has a great view especially at night. I've never eaten there but it next on the pile if I don't just go back to Casa Domenico www.aquaterrabyclark.com  [note - since writing the original email, I have been once for lunch. I think it would be better for dinner. Not a CheapEat]

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There are also a number of Vietnamese spots sprinkled around downtown. I haven't been to a bad one... though I haven't been blown away either. Generally I hit Saigon Delights -272 Bagot Street

If I were heading up and not planning to cook at all, I'd probably hit:

• The Pilot for dinner Friday,
• The Sleepless Goat for a light breakfast Saturday,
• Hoagie House for lunch Saturday and drive down to the water to eat it,
• Casa Domenico for dinner.
• Morrison's or Star Diner again for Sunday breakfast (or I’d just skip breakfast and go for another Hoagie or hit a Vietnamese place.)
  

(Note: this may eventually end up posted on either CETOblog.com or CEOTblog.com or some combination of the two, but I’m too hungry to figure that out now.)

It's Just So High School

For the start of my summer vacation**, I thought I'd leave you with a little high school graffiti that I saw in a bathroom stall at my mother's high school. Whether it's permanently or just for the summer, it's just a little reminder of why we're all happy to be out of there.

"She treats me like shit, so why do I still like her? Why am I afraid to speak up?"

"No one likes him, doesn't he get it?"
response: "His mom probably told him 'girls tease you because they like you'"

"the waiting game of life's best play
to grasp the strings of dawn's new day
we're dashed of hopes and dreams of time
just sit and wait to make life rhyme
past soon makes sense of time's quick work
but quick to live and quick to earth"

"'I love you' an over-used under-meant sentence."

"maybe I'm not trying to be different just myself. Ever thought of that?"

"It seems we always miss the old days, no?  'I wish I were seven', 'I wish I didn't have to care'. Suggestion: don't hope for the future, LIVE now, so you won't have to crave the past"

"Why are people so judgmental?
Calling some 'ugly' won't make you prettier.
Calling someone 'stupid' won't make you smarter.
{It should freaking stop!!}"

[**Ooops. I had this all set up to post while I was on vacation... would you believe the dog ate my post?]

Why does it always rain in Kingston?

Drop
Photo courtesy of LexnGer.

I get to explore my mom's backyard and photograph raindrops to my heart's content, usually returning to the house with wet pant cuffs, a sodden bottom and dirty feet.

I don't get in nearly as much trouble when it's dry.LexnGer: ""

Rain Drops [Day 7]

Drop Focus
Photo courtesy of LexnGer.

Ger is here and today will be a flurry of activity:

Shopping for Easter dinner - which involves the traditional "What will lex cook for us this feast day?" game, in which mom and Ger cruise John's for a nice piece of meat for me to roast or barbecue. Then I must find a way to prepare it.

The ritual holiday trip to Chez VV (that's Value Village for those of you who have not had the pleasure)

At least one round of "What do you mean gravy AND cheese sauce", in which mom lays out the serving dishes in advance for all the items we are preparing, and some how there is alway one dish - usually cheese sauce - which gets overlooked. Or from mom's perspective... she was never told about.

And the traditional, "oh no, I thought we weren't doing presents this time. But you have one for me? Ack. Let's go to John's. I'll take the first aisle, you take the second and gifts will be of the exotic food variety."

Ah, I love our family traditions.LexnGer: "I love wet mornings."

Easter Buds [Day 6]

Easter Buds
Photo courtesy of LexnGer.

Crawling about the garden checking out the little green things poking their heads up through the leaves while mom is reading the paper. Ah, spring!LexnGer: "In K'ton again, for easter with mom... and to cruise her garden for photo ops. Happy Easter (if that's your thing)."

HOLY CR**P

Last night a man left death threats in a message on my cell. 

I thought it might be a message about dad, so I checked it immediately after I rolled out of bed.  Already slightly anxious, stressed and emotionally vulnerable, I was assaulted by an aggresive male voice uttering violent, scary and hostile threats.

It was terrifying, even though I never seriously thought he meant to be leaving the message for me.  I figure that the person who used to have my cell number really pissed this guy off somehow, enough that he kept saying things like "The stuff on the Sopranos is real."

I don't know what to do.  Mom keeps saying "how do you know it wasn't for you" and telling me to call the cops.  Personally I'm nervous about becoming a target, but that seems a little chicken of me.

What would you do?

Who knew....

That while Amex rewards will get you excellent car rental certificates, they are completely useless for renting a car in Kingston. 

Yes it's true.  Who knew my excellent scheme of hitching a ride to K'ton, using our cool little car rental rewards to drive to Ottawa and spend 3 days getting the next edition of CheapEats Ottawa rolling would be jammed up by Thrifty closing their Kingston office. 

The most amusing part, for me, was the Thrifty's CSR telling me that they don't even have any locations "close" to Kingston... "even the Hamilton one has closed"  Which of course leaves me wondering if she understands the definition of "close".  Her lack of geographic understanding was confirmed as she proceeded to tell me the closest Thrifty's location to Kingston is in Stratford... Brampton, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Toronto.  When asked explicitly, she did identify 2 locations in Ottawa...  ah, how useful.

So I guess I'll be taking a little trip on Voyageur, and OCTranspo. 

The upside is we have to use these reward certificates before April 30th, so we've got 5 days of some serious trouble to get into when I get back to TO.  Wooo Hooo.  What to do? What to Do?

The "other" blog

Okay, so I'm behind on my daily updates... mainly because I don't have pretty pictures. I lost the connector for the digital camera on the train. Via is looking for it... but hasn't found it yet.

However, I simply could not hold off any longer on this news...

145,784 hits to the Apprentice Blog so far... we are averaging well over 2000 per day, including the days when we had 72 hits... in the last 2 weeks we've been averaging over 6000 per day. Can you imagine?

Last Friday Google clocked us at 14,000+; Typepad says we had over 35,000.

About 0.2-0.4% are clicking through on the Google Ads, and thus creating a self sufficient site. How cool is that!!

Travel Advisory

Just a quick update to those of you checking my progress... and wondering where I'm sleeping.

I'm in K'ton at mom's now. This usually means limited access to technology, well connected technology anyway.